Heating system



Sept 16 1924. 1,508,792

J; cl HORNUNG HEATING SYSTEM Filed May 11, 1922 r Sept. 16, 1924.

:1 STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Application filed May 11,1922. Serial 110 560,107.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN C. Hormone, a citizen of the United States, residing at Glencoe, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Heating Systems, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description.

My invention relates to apparatus employing pilot burners, such as are employed in automatically regulated furnaces of heating systems, though the invention is not to be limited to any particular use to which it is put. The apparatus of my invention in-' cludes a nozzle in heating relation to a boiler or other element that is to be heated, an ignition burner for igniting the fuel passing from the heating nozzle'and a pilot burner in igniting relation to the ignition burner. The volume of the pilot flame is small in relation to the volume ofv the ignition flame whose volume, in turn, is small in relation to the heating nozzle flame. The ignition flame is normally extinguished but such flame is required becausethe pilot flame is too small in volume to insure establishment of the heating flame when required.

'Hitherto the intermediate flame, furnished by the ignition burner, was not employed, '7.

a constant pilot flame of sufliciently large volume being maintained for establishing the flame at the heating nozzle. 2

The pilot flame of my equipment need thus "be very small as compared with the pilot flames hitherto employed whereby there is material saving in fuel that is consumed by such flame.

While heating apparatus thus equipped finds a very important use in house heatingsystems, it isobvious that the invention nee not be thus limited.

Pilot burners, as hitherto arranged, are

apt to have their flames very readily extinguished by accidental drafts.

In accordance with one feature of my in-v vention the pilot flame issues through a hole that is formed in an expansion or thermostatic element that is provided over the pilot burner. This. expansion element preferably also constitutes a guard to keep the pilot flame from being extinguished. Where the pilot flame is employed in igniting an-.

other flame, as in a furnace, the pilot, burner and its guard are contained in a closure in which the burner for the flame that is to be 'burner 14 normally maintains a pilot ignited by the pilot flame is also contained,

the flame that is ignited by the pilotflame by reference tothe accompanying drawing showing a diagram of a heating system embodying the invention.

The heating system illustrated includes a steani boiler 1 furnishing steam to steam radiators located where heat is to be furnished, one such radiator being indicated at 2. The boiler is provided upon any usual or suitable boiler setting 3 that afiords a combustion space or fire box 4. in heating relation to the boiler. The furnaceis shown as being adapted to the burning of oil or other liquid fuel furnished from a tank 5' through piping 6 that terminates in a heating nozzle 7 which is'positioned to discharge the fuel into the fire box.. The oil is desirably atomized, to which end the pipe 6 is surrounded by an air pipe 8, space intervening between the two pipes for the passage of air under pressure in the direction of the nozzle This air finds passage through the atom-- izing nozzle 9 that serves to atomize the liquid fuel as it issues into the furnace fire box 4 and to promote the flow of such fuel in the pipe 6. Air under pressure is desir:

which is driven by an electric motor 11 connected therewith. Thispump is directly connected with the pipe 8 in order to effect the forced flow'of air through the same and its nozzle 9. Said pipe has a branch 12 which extends into the top of the tank 5 to create 'air pressure upon the liquid fuel in this tank, fuel being'forced through said pipe by the direct'action of air pressure withm the tank and by air suction at the nozzle 9.

The fuel, liquid or otherwise, issuing'at the nozzle 9 is ignited by aflame established at the ignition burner 13 wheneverthe flame at the nozzle 9 is to be formed. A fpilot m 15 in igniting relation to the gas that is caused to issue at the burner 13 whenever the ignition flame is' to be established.

Whenever the motor 11 is set into operation forced flow of air follows-in the pipe 8 with the results hitherto stated, a forced 4 21 are upon theesame side of the diaphragm 18 with the inlet end of' a gas pipe 23 through which gas flows into the box to be passed to the ignition burner 13 whenever flameis to be established at this burner to ignite the atomized fuel issuing from the nozzle 9. A small branch pipe 24 constantly through the pipe 16 when the motor 11 issupplies gas to the pilot burner 14 in readiness to ignite the gas that flows through the pipe 21 whenever the valve 20 is opened as a consequence of the air pressure exerted upon the diaphragm 18 by the air forced driven. The flame at 13 is desirably maintained during the time that fuel is flowing from the nozzle 9 to insure the burning of this fuel during the entire time that it is flowing. When the requisite degree of heat has been produced the motor 11 is thrown out of circuit to stop the flow of air through the pipe 8 whereupon the diaphragm 18.

:and the spring22-are permitted to perform their function of closing the valve 20 to extinguish the burner flame at 13, the tiny flame at the pilot burner 14 remaining as it is supplied with gas directly from the pipe 23 independently of the pipe 21.

I will now describe the electric switching equipment by which the motor 11 is brought into and out circuit due to the thermoo static control 'eflected in the room where the temperature is to be regulated and which motor is cut out of service with orwithout the coincident operation of the room ther mostat whenthe boiler pressure becomes excessive or the pilot flame at 14 is extinguished. c

The electric controlling system illustrated employs a generator 25,, in this instance illustrated as an alternating current enerator, that supplies current to the distributing mains 26. The motor 11, that is in driving relation with thelair pump 10, is connected in brid of the mains together with switches 27, 28 and 29, 30. The switch arm 27 has its position governed by 'an' arm 31 and a floating block 32, the arrangement being such that when the arm 31 is turned to the right the arm 27 is turned to the left and vice versa. A spring 33, when "free to fimction, moves'the arm 31 to the left to cause the arm 27 tomove tothe right to open.

the gap in the motor circuit thatlis nor:

mally maintained closed by the arm 27 and its contact 28. The thermostatic plunger rod 34 is normally influenced by the heat of thepilot flame 15 to place and hold the arm 31 in its right hand and normal position, whereby the switch 27, 28 is normally closed. The rod 34 is assembled with a guard 35 that is formed, with a hole 36 therein through which the pilot flame is directed. The guard 35 is, a thermostatic continuation of the rod 34 and forms, together with this rod, a thermostatic element whose elongation' is normally effected by the pilot flame to place the arms3l and 27 in their switch closing positions to permit the switch 29, 30 to close the motor circuit when'the heat furnished by the radiator 2 isinsuflicient. If the pilot flame should become extinguished the themostatic or expansion element 34, 35 will become contracted to permit the spring 33 to move the arm 31 to the left to position the arm 27 to the right to open the motor circuit and prevent the re-establishmentthereof when the switch 29, 30 is-closed and while the pilot flame is extinguished. Thus the motor 11 is prevented from supplying fuel to thezfurnace in the absence of the pilot flame whereby a flooding of the furnace with unburned fuelis avoided. The mechanism including the elements 27, 28, 31 and 32 is covered by my' United States Patent 1,312,692, dated August 12, 1919, and need" not be more fully described"herein. K

In order'that the thermostatic or expansion element 34, 35 may flmction asdescribed the parts 27, 28, 31, 32 and 33 are carried upon and within a box 36connected 'by means of a tube 37 with a bracket 38 upon which the thermostatic element 35 is mounted, the element 35 being positioned to 1 05 be more subject to the heat of the burner flame than the complemental thermostatic element 37 whereby the rod 34 maE be moved longitudinally of its axis and with respect to the tube 37 and the adjacent wall of the box '36 through, which said rod slides, an arrangement covered by my co-pendinglapplication Serial No. 471,804, filed Marc 23 1921.

tion of the switch arin 29 has parts similar" to parts .of the mechanism w h1ch governs the position of the arm 27, similar reference characters with prime exponents beinglap- 1,20

plied thereto. The plunger rod 34 ever, is operated by a thermostat 38 that is constructed to be responsive to the temperature furnished by the radiator 2.

The flame of the burner 13 issues thro h an opening 39 between the burner and t e brackets whereby the plillot flame is guarded against extinction. e thermostatic element 35 also constitutes a guard for the pilot flame further to guard this flame from extinction. The bracket 38Iis desirably con 0 The mechanism which governs the P sitinued to form a pilot flame enclosing box to prevent, as far as possible, drafts from reaching the interior of this box and the pilot fiame therein, the guard 35 preventing any drafts that may happen to be present in this box from reaching the pilot flame.

While I have herein shown and particularly described the preferred embodiment of my invention I do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction shown as changes may readily be made without departing from the spirit of my invention, but having thus described my invention I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent the following 1. In a heater, the combination with a heating nozzle; of an ignition burner in igniting relation to fuel flowing through the nozzle; a ilot burner in igniting relation to fuel owing through the ignition burner; means for establishing flow of fuel through the heating nozzle; and means, operated by the aforesaid means, for establishing and cutting off flow of fuel through the ignition burner while flame is maintained at the pilot burner.

2. In a heater, the combination with a fuel conducting pipe; of an air conducting pipe terminating adjacent the discharge end of the fuel conducting pipe; an ignition burner in igniting relation to fuel flowing through the fuel pipe; valve mechanism for controlling thevflow of fuel through said burner; means for efl'ecting forced passage of air through the air conducting pipe in the direction in which fuel is flowing in the fuel conductin pipe and for effecting the forced passage 0 air upon the'valve mechanism to open the valve; and a pilot burner in igniting relation to fuel flowing through the ignition burner.

3. In a heater, the combination with a fuel conducting pipe; of an air conducting pipe ."terminating adjacent the discharge end of the fuel conducting pipe; an ignition burner in igniting relation to fuel flowing through the fuel pipe; valve mechanism for controlling the flow of fuel through said burner; means common to the air conducting pipe and said valve mechanism for effecting forced passage of air through the air conducting pipe in the direction in which fuel is flowing in the fuel conducting pipe and for effecting the forced passage of air upon the valve mechanism to open the valve; and a pilot burner in ignitin relation to fuel flowing through the ignition burner.

4. In a heater, the combination with a fuel conducting pipe; of an air conducting pipe terminating adjacent the discharge end of the fuel conducting pipe; an ignition burner in igniting relation to the discharge end of the fuel pipe; valve mechanism for controlling the flow of fuel through said bumer; a branch pipe for conveying air from the aforesaid air conducting pipe to the valve mechanism that is adapted to open its valve when subject to air under pressure; an air pump for effecting the forced passage of air through said air conducting pipe and its branch; and a pilot burner in igniting relation to fuel flowing through the ignition burner.

5. In a heater, the combination with a fuel conducting pipe; of an air conducting pipe terminating adjacent the discharge end of the fuel conducting pipe; an ignition burner in igniting relation to the discharge end of the fuel pipe; valve mechanism for controllin the flow of fuel through'said burner; a ranch pipe for conveying air from the aforesaid air conducting pipe to the valve mechanism that is adapted to open its valve when subject to air under pressure; an air pump for effecting the forced passage of air through said air conducting pipe and its branch and through said fuel conducting pipe; and a pilot burner in igniting relation to fuel flowing through the ignition burner.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this fifth day of May A. D., 1922.

JOHN C. nominee. 

